[Jewelry making - Article 01340] - Re: [Orchid] Art Shows - Is it worthwhile to do?

[Judy Hoch]

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Delias - This is a big question.

    There are several kinds of art shows - juried, or those where you
    just buy a space. In my opinion, if you actually make your own
    jewelry, the juried ones are more desirable. If you are buying
    jewelry and reselling it, you probably can't get admitted to a juried
    show. 

    There is substantial expense in doing shows - you own your own tent,
    weights and display materials - basically a portable store setup.
    Jury fees run about $25 to $30 to apply, and if accepted, booth fees
    can run from $100 to $800 for a two or three day show. You should be
    prepared to take credit cards so you need to learn about merchant
    processing. Checks and cash are fine, but are a small part of the
    market. 

    You need to have really good pictures of your work to complete an
    application - so you have the expense of a professional photographer
    or the expense of buying a camera and learning how to use it. Many
    shows now require on-line digital application - such as
    www.zapplication.org and for that you need a photo manipulation
    software program such as Photoshop elements. Of course you can hire
    much of this done, but then that is an expense too. 

    Once accepted into a few good shows, it takes several years to
    develop a customer following, thus you need to maintain a customer
    database and mail promotional literature, another expense. If you do
    only a couple of shows a year, you will have a difficult time
    developing a following. 

    And not to forget, you need to have substantial inventory to do
    these shows. If you plan to sell $3000 at a show, I'd suggest that
    you have at least 3 times that much inventory. Customers like to pick
    from a selection, they don't usually buy the one item on display. If
    you are not a natural sales person, you need to learn that too. 

    Go to several shows locally. Observe the artists and their wares.
    Most will talk to you if you ask informed questions. There are rating
    services available for shows, both local and national - one is
    www.artfairsourcebook.com . Some of the magazines also rate shows -
    such as Sunshine Artist. 

    And yes, it can be very profitable to do juried art shows. And you
    can also lose your shirt. 

Judy Hoch
www.judyhoch.com

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